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Saturday, October 10, 2015

She Was Pretty Episode 2 Recap

Hi friends! Anyone else on a drama high like me? I'm loving all the new dramas out there and She Was Pretty is no exception. It's taking me a little longer than I expected to get to it with all the other dramas begging for my attention, but never fear, I'll make time for it! Let's go over the second episode.

When we left off Hye Jin had just realized that her new boss was Sung Joon, talk about an awkward working environment. We see a short flashback to the day of Hye Jin's interview when the elevator was too full and even though a girl got on after her, it seemed everyone expected Hye Jin to get off instead.

So she does, but then Sung Joon who is also in the elevator tells the other girl to get out. Hye Jin doesn't hear him do this, though. Instead she hears Shin Hyuk (Siwon's character) who invites Hye Jin to get back in the elevator. I love what both characters did here. Sung Joon recognizes that it wasn't fair that the elevator girl should stay just because she's prettier and although Shin Hyuk wasn't the one to stick up for Hye Jin, he welcomed her back to the elevator eagerly.

Back to the present, everyone in the office introduces themselves to Sung Joon except Hye Jin who ducks out the door. Shin Hyuk watches her as he goes. I need to put this out there because I can see where the drama is going with his character.

Making Siwon a second male lead is cruel and unusual punishment. All eyes are on him any time he's on screen and he portrays the most loveable characters. That being said, please don't do this to me, drama! Please! Although I know you're going to. He's too charming NOT to be the second male lead too.

So Hye Jin goes and calls Ha Ri who gives her a pep talk. So far she's really showing herself to be an absolutely amazing friends to Hye Jin. Ha Ri assures Hye Jin that Sung Joon won't recognize her. Unfortunately, Hye Jin is not convinced so she goes to the manager of the management support team, the team she was originally hired under, and begs him to bring her back to his team. He basically tells her that either he works for The Most (the magazine division) or she write her resignation letter.

So instead she goes to her manager at The Most and says that she's not really competent enough to work in their division and tells her that she knows nothing about fashion. She begs the manager to send her back to management support, but she tells Hye Jin that she's the perfect person for the job since she's able to do everything they need done and she's more reliable than a temp. With all her running around from office to office Hye Jin's managed to put off doing any real work for quite some time now.

The whole time Hye Jin is traveling around the building, she's careful to avoid Sung Joon. She thinks she sees him coming toward her so she quickly hides in the elevator and the door shut. Only then does realize that Sung Joon is in the elevator with her and the other man was somebody else entirely. She tries to keep her calm and not look at him, but internally she's freaking out. Then the elevator stops and is stuck. Hye Jin is so desperate to get out, that she goes full freak out and begins pounding on the doors of the elevator.

At the point Sung Joon intervenes and tells her that if she really wants to get out the best thing to do is calm down. When he comes to the realization that maybe she has claustrophobia, he pulls out his headphone, puts one in her ear, and plays "Close to You" by the Carpenters. She touched as it was the same thing that she did to him when he was having a panic attack as they were kids. Then the elevator doors open, he rips out the headphones and walks away.

All of the cast of The Most is headed to a photo shooot, including Hye jin. She is still a little out of her element as to what she's supposed to be doing, but she eagerly helps when asked. Only problem is they don't really give her a lot of information. For instance, they don't tell her to take off her street shoes and she ends up tracking mud onto the set. Sung Joon sees it and starts yelling at her. She then takes off her shoes and is further embarrassed by the fact that one of her socks has a hole in that shows her big toe.

The manager and one of the younger guys on the team try to reassure her that it's okay, that everyone makes mistakes. So it would seem so far that Sung Joon is part sweet and part absolute douche bag. And right now the douche bag part is outweighing the sweet. Don't you think as someone who was bullied he'd have a little more sympathy for people? Or maybe it's one of those cases where the bullied becomes the bully. Either way uncool Sung Joon.

Not that there's anything wrong with anime. They are just sooo different to me.

Not too much longer later, the "Amazingly Weird Lady" who is CEO in name only shows up. In my opinion that's not such a bad way to be known. I'd own up to that title any day She's gaudy and full of pizzazz and upon seeing Hye Jin who is the very opposite of her in every way, she is shocked. She calls Hye Jin over in front of everyone and calls out Hye Jin's hair and how unfashionable her taste is. Hye Jin mentions that her hair has always been frizzy. Sung Joon, who overhears this smirks at this statement. Weird Lady calls Hye Jin's style "un-most" and asks her to make it a little more "most" if she's going to work there.

Sung Joon has another flashback to his childhood with Hye Jin. When they're out one day it rains and she gets her hair wet. It goes all crazy as anyone with wavy or curly hair will tell you that rain will do to your hair. She has to go to the salon to get it fixed and then asks Sung Joon not to tell anyone. That's the reason she hates rain, because it messes her hair up. Silly, maybe, but completely relatable. This scene also makes me think he's a bit of a narcissist. While Hye Jin is getting shamed in front of everyone, he thinks fondly of his first love and how she made him feel. If you think about it, it's not sweet at all.

When Hye Jin gets home that night she starts writing her resignation letter. Ha Ri tries to dissuade her. She reminds Hye Jin how hard she worked to get a job. Hye Jin explains that she doesn't want to mar the memories she has of Sung Joon by working under him. She wants to keep the memories pure and untarnished. She uses the term "I feel like a sock with a hole in it", which may be one of the best and most heart-hitting phrases I've ever heard. How many times have I felt like this but not been able to put it into words?

The next day Hye Jin goes to submit her resignation letter. The manager that hired her is out so she leaves her letter on his desk. Shin Hyuk has been observing Hye Jin the whole time that she's been in the office, wondering why she's always dashing in and out. As she's walking back to the Most office after submitting her resignation he sneaks up and scares her and good-naturedly teases her a little bit. Shin Hyuk is always making the best facial expressions and saying the funniest little one-liners.

Meanwhile one of the girl's from the office over hears the weird lady calling her nephew on the phone mentioning that she pretends like she doesn't know him in the office like he wants. Now we know that the weird lady is the chairman's brother, which would lead us to believe that the chairman's son is one of the guys who works in the office. I think the drama is setting up so we believe that it's Sung Joon, but my money's on Shin Hyuk. It is always those with money that are able to act so care-free. If you don't have money, you have to worry about how you're going to make it. I really think that if anyone's the chairman's son, it's Shin Hyuk.

When Hye Jin gets into the office, Sung Joon has called an office meeting with everyone and her manager insists that she go to take notes since 'everyone' means her too. Hye Jin debates telling her that she's quitting, but decides on waiting until her hiring manager has had a chance to process it.
So Hye Jin does as she's asked. Sung Joon starts the meeting in a very militaristic way. Using an hour glass to time their meeting so it doesn't go longer than 30 minutes and rejecting absolutely every idea that's proposed. He asks Hye Jin what her ideas are. Her manager tries to intervene and say she's just there to take notes, but he says that every member of the team should be contributing and that if she didn't have any ideas she should just get out. The rest of the team tries to diffuse the tension and defend Hye Jin but he's not having it so Hye Jin leaves, absolutely baffled.

Hye Jin is running an errand while everyone else is at lunch and runs into Sung Joon on the way back. She falls and he catches her initally, but then lets her drop. She follows him instead, imagining herself giving him a piece of her mind, but can't find the words. She keeps stuttering as she's trying to get it out. He gets angry and tells her that he hates people who waste his time. Hye Jin breaks and asks him why he doesn't like her. He essentially tells her that she's stupid and incompetent, but more importantly tells her he doesn't like her because her name is Hye Jin and she's not good enough for that name.

That is a completely low blow. Even if they were two different Hye Jin's, who is he to determine that someone isn't good enough for their name. Completely disgusting. I'm not loving him at all so far. And it's so hard when the male lead isn't loveable but the second male lead isn't. I can't take it! I hope things don't get worse before they get better because I find Sung Joon utterly unappealing right now.

This is a breaking point for Hye Jin. She goes into a bathroom and fumes. She realizes that the sweet chubby boy that was her first love no longer exsists and so she doesn't have to worry about tarnshing her memories anymore because old Sung Joon is gone. Furthermore, that she doesn't want to let someone like him chase her away from a good job. She realizing that her hiring manager is due back so she bolts to his office and grabs her resignation from him just as he's about to pick it up and she tears it to pieces.We learn from Sung Joon meeting with weird lady CEO that The Most has decided to close the Korean division unless they can increase sales since they have been doing so much more poorly than all the other divisions. He's analyzed all of the editor's work and believes that they have the talent and just need a little guidance to be great and that's why he's there.

Hye Jin goes back to The Most office where the girls are gossiping about why a tyrant Sung Joon is and Hye Jin joins in and goes completely off about how he is arrogant and has a horrible personality when the girls clamp up and Hye Jin turns around to see he is standing right behind her. Shin Hyuk smirks, thinking it's hilarious.

Later we see Sung Joon leaving a hotel, which happens to be the hotel where Ha Ri works as a manager. As he's leaving he thinks he sees someone like her in his rearview mirror. We think he's left but as Ha Ri is walking inside he comes running up to her. And that's where our episode ends.

Another great one down the pipes. I'm excited for what's to come. Keep up to date with my recaps on the She Was Pretty homepage. and drama on friends!